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A panel of state officials spoke about issues surrounding water policies on Molokai. Photo by Eileen Chao.

Water is an essential component to life –without it, we would cease to exist. Few know this better than the agricultural farmers of Molokai, who each use nearly 6,000 gallons of water per acre per day, according to Alton Arakaki, extension agent for the University of Hawaii –College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR). While water is so important, many residents and farmers don’t know where it comes from, who’s responsible for it and what policies govern its distribution. In order to educate and guide the community in the ways of water, a panel was held on Molokai last Friday to provide information that is important to understanding the use of agricultural water on Molokai and its distribution via the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS).…

Whoever said it’s all downhill after age 50 has never paddled in Molokai’s annual Master Blasters Race. Participants say the event is just as much about making friends as it is about the paddling competition, the costumes and the drinking. With this year’s festivities featuring a crew of Jack Sparrow-lookalikes in one canoe, Spartan soldiers in the next and afro-wearing Amazonian women in another, there was fun to be had by all last Saturday in the 27th annual event.

“We did our best, we drank our beers and we had a lot of fun,” said Lea Giddens, who paddled with the Wildcat Witches from Maui.…

In the spirit of good Halloween fun, many dressed up in their own costumes to attend the second annual Halloqueen event hosted at Paddlers Inn last Saturday. Pictured here are the evening’s seven performers who came from all across the state.

Little Leagues players ages 4 to 8 assembled into five teams –the White Sox, the Indians, the Rangers, the Phillies and the Athletics. Photo by Eileen Chao.

More than 70 young T-ballers aged 4 to 8 gathered at Kaunakakai ball field early Saturday morning to officially bat off the start of this year’s Little League season. Before any games commenced, all five teams stood for the opening ceremony, which featured the national and Hawaiian anthem, guest speakers and a pule.

“There’s not too much on Molokai for little ones,” said Minky Young, president of Molokai Little League. “Little League offers not only baseball, but unity, community involvement, health and wellness.”

Mayoral Budget Office visits Molokai to gather testimony

When Mayor Alan Arakawa and his team of county officials visited Molokai last week, they did what many Molokai residents do every day–they waited for a ride from the Maui Economic Opportunities (MEO) bus.

That’s an example of ways in which the county is limiting their own spending to make more funds available for community needs, explained Arakawa as he discussed the county’s upcoming budget with Molokai residents last week.

The budget for the current fiscal year was $549.9 million, and Arakawa expects around the same numbers for 2013 to 2014. In a time of budget cuts across the board, Arakawa said his office has managed to maintain a consistent budget due in large part to limiting excessive spending within his departmental administration.…

Wetland serves as learning grounds for community

Koheo Wetland. Photo by Eileen Chao.

At the end of Seaside Place in Kaunakakai, tucked behind a string of houses along Molokai’s southern shoreline, is what might appear to be a large, vacant lot. For years, this site was used as a dump, but through the efforts of Nene O Molokai, a nonprofit organization led by wildlife biologist Arleone Dibben-Young, the area has been cleaned up over the past 10 years and restored to what it is today –the Koheo Wetland. It is now home to dozens of species of native shorebirds, including one of the rarest shorebirds in the world and Kaunakakai’s official bird, the kioea, also known as the bristle-thighed curlew.…

Molokai is one of 12,000 communities in the country – over 10 million people –that are considered medically underserved, according to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Every year, the NHSC enlists medical, dental, mental and behavioral healthcare providers to these communities to provide primary health care to those who may not be able to afford it. Last Thursday marked Corps Community Day that recognizes the efforts of almost 10,000 NHSC members nationwide who are caring for underserved communities — four of whom serve on Molokai, according to Catherine Sorenson of the Hawaii Department of Health.

With most of the sell-out crowd at Hilo Civic Center cheering for their hometown hero and defending champ Pono Kuikahi, few expected Molokai mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Nate Harris, 25, to bring home the belt at the Unorthodox Industries Championships (UIC) event in Hilo earlier this month. But he did.

After fighting in three three-minute rounds, Harris, who has been training with Molokai’s Relentless MMA for the past four years, claimed the UIC welterweight championship belt for the 170-pound weight bracket. He won by definitive judge’s decision. The win brings his amateur record to 4-1.…

Whether it’s the coronation of the royal court, the procession of pa`u units riding atop lei-draped horses through town or the chaotic teamwork of the bed race, the annual Festivals of Aloha is all about pride, color and tradition. Every year, the three-day event draws large crowds to participate in fun activities that also perpetuate traditional Hawaiian culture. The theme of this year’s Festival was “E kupuohi I ke Aloha –- Flourish with Aloha,” as symbolized by the Kamehameha butterfly, one of two butterfly species native to Hawaii.

“The point of the festivals is to carry on the heritage of Hawaiians,” said Moana Dudoit, who has been organizing the festivals on Molokai with her sister Raquel Dudoit for the past three years.…